The road to Ben Nevis Nov 2009

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Wednesday, 15 October 2014

A September trip to Norway found us revisiting the area reported on here. We had been without snow before, but on previous occasions there were children to manage; this was the first time we could focus on grown-up pursuits like walking, picking berries, and chopping trees.

troll

Black Death

Norefjell lies 3 hours drive north-west of Oslo and provides the nearest high hills to the capital. The route passes the home of Kittelsen one of Norway's favourite artist / illustrators and some of the hills en route are recognisable from his pictures. He painted landscapes and nature and illustrated books. His 'Plague' (black death) travelled from valley to valley in the form of an old lady; most of all he was famous for his pictures of trolls. A nice stopping-off point on the journey is the Blaafarveværket - an old cobalt mine now turned into a visitor attraction with a gallery and cafeteria.

Our destination was Tempelseter. We unloaded the car and carried our supplies through the trees into the hut which was pleasantly warm with the heating turned on by mobile phone the day before. With rain expected we quickly changed, racing to beat the gathering clouds, and headed up above the tree line.

This is late in the berry picking season, however we were not disappointed. The main carpet was blueberries (bilberriesor blåbær)- smaller and tastier than those UK supermarket monsters from Poland. These are regular eating material, great to collect for dessert but also to eat while waiting for the others to catch up. Looking similar, but not as tasty are Mikkelsbaer - supposedly good for flavouring liquor. Krekling translate to crowberry and are quite different - black, juicey with big pips that need to be spat out. My main target for collection was tyttebær apparently cowberry in English. This red berry is used in a jam to accompany roast meats and a requirement of our Christmas table.

blåbær

Krekling

Mikkelsbær

tyttebær

You can usually tell who's been eating blueberries!

Blåbær tongue

The next day brought fairer weather and we headed to some tops. Navigation on Norefjell is not difficult in good weather as the peaks are all features of the same large mountain mass and the direction home is always clear. To help though there's a free map app which is worth knowing about, called Norgeskart it is available from the Google Playstore. Load frames over the internet before setting out to save on download time and cost. We found outstanding detail - for example showing a home-made greenhouse in a friend's backyard. Although someone remarked that a few local paths were incorrect I found no problems and my phone became an excellent supplement to the map.

The Ridge below Ranten

We started through the blueberry zone just above the treeline. With the hut at over 900m the climb to the high tops ahead is not too strenuous.

Despite threatening clouds the rain held off until evening

As the blueberries began to thin out, at about 1000m we noticed more and more activity in the sparse undergrowth. 2014 is a 'Lemen' year. A year in which the lemmings appear in great numbers. Most disappeared down their holes when then saw us, but the one in the picture below at least partially lived-up to its reputation - it made a great fuss, and much angry noise as it ran around and around eventually hiding under some krekling. It did not explode in anger however as they are supposed to.

Lemming

Everywhere are tracks between lemming holes making a distinctive and unusual local feature on the ground.

Within a couple of hours we had reached to top of Ranten at 1420m with extensive views in every direction.

A sandwich on Ranten

Heading down towards Soere Istjenn and Tempelsetra

Heading down to avoid the forecasted deterioration in the weather we came upon a small patch of Molte or cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus). Thisfruit is regarded as a great delicacy. With a subtle taste it is often prepared with whipped cream and sugar. It is relatively rare and so its whereabouts are often kept secret. The picking season is earlier in August and these specimens were past their best and not worth gathering.

Molte / Cloudberry

We returned to the cabin just at the beginning of an 18 hour session of rain.

The next day was planned to be half work half walk. In fact only work was done; some hours working hard in the rain was enough! My job was gathering fallen trees and sawing and chopping ready for firewood. Another was painting window (frames) which was accomplished in the rain by taking them off one by one, blocking the hole from the elements, drying the frame inside the cabin, and then painting undercover. The engineer set himself the task of raising up the middle of the hut.

One of the concrete supports of the cabin was sinking into the mud. This affected the alignment of the interior, meaning door and drawers would not close as expected. A jacking platform was built that could be assembled around the concrete post. As the support was also tending to tip over a rope with a special adjustable winding (Spanish) design was tensioned around the concrete. Jacking was achieved by two hydraulic jacks matching the weight of the hut. Once the frame was raised by a couple of centimetres a piece of wood was added to the others already on the post.

Purpose built jacking platform

The stick allows quick adjustment of the tension

Preventing the column from tipping forward

Two hydraulic jacks are used to lift the cabin

Leaving the area we get a final glimpse of one of hills featured in several of Kittlesen's pictures.

Monday, 6 October 2014

I was away for a few weeks in September and when I returned this picture graced the front page of my weekend newpaper.

Of course it isn't a new member of the government. Or a well know celebrity. It's a journalist. The thing is - this is not our correspondent in Syria. This is our Critical Brain in central London. So why not have a wash and shave? And a hair cut? Or just write and don't distract from the words with this penetrating gaze.

The make-over is all over. And generally it gets a thumbs up from me! There is some basic redesign which make articles and sections stand out more. The pictures of writers are generally good and many are an improvement over what went before.

MSW before

MSW after

I note that the last two weekend editions have been without journalists pictured on the front page. I can applaud this if it is a change in policy. Lets see the message on the cover and keep the mouths inside.

Thursday, 28 August 2014

The TGO Challenge

The TGO Challenge takes place in May and it is now August, and for some unexplainable reason I still have not completed the write-up. Probably I should learn from Martin Banfield who I found shut up in his tent in the middle of Fetteresso forest writing his blog. Last time, in 2012, I did a bit of writing 'on the hoof', but getting the typing technology right is rather critical and this time I decided travelling light was more important.

A large part of the fun is in preparation. Planning the route. Fine tuning the equipment. Testing. Getting in shape. Working out a food strategy. Arranging the transport and accommodation.

Then, one Wednesday in May a stirring takes place in odd corners of the UK and other parts of the world as 300 or so TGOers from all walks of life put aside their daily chores once more and head to the transport hubs that will lead them to Scotland and their chosen start point on the west coast.

TGOers awake!

Here we can see a collection of TGOers limbering up for the night train from London to Scotland. The one with the light shining through shares his experiences here.

What's new since 2012?

What is different for me this time?

Feet. In 2012 the number 1 problem came from my feet. My boots were fine for walking in the dry, but with several days of continuous wet I got sores and blisters which I was ill-equipped to treat. After trying many different types of footware I settled on a new pair of lightweight Scarpa boots which were satisfactory, but probably more significant was my use of moleskin to protect areas of my feet from rubbing.

Maps. Last time I printed my route from OS Getamap on pages of A4 paper. This is risky - if the paper gets wet it disintegrates. This time I used plastic - a product from Xerox called 'nevertear'. And as I no longer have access to a colour duplex printer I had to find a print shop to prepare these sheets for me. With sore feet I had wanted to vary my route but this was not possible without maps covering other areas. So this time I took a couple of OS maps, and sent a couple more to one of my stopping off points. The only map I used was for the Cairngorms where I added an extra day's walk when I realised I would reach the end too early.

Electronics. Charging phones and computers and camera batteries was quite a palava, sort of helped by a clever universal charger which covered all batteries. But it still needed mains electricity. This year I bought a cheap and simple Nokia phone which would not need to be charged at all over the two weeks. I took two spare AA batteries for the GPS (which I rarely use) and for the camera I carried 6 replica Olympus batteries bought very cheaply on E-Bay and Amazon. So no electricity necessary.

Gear updates.

I treated myself to the new NeoAir sleeping mattress - the Xtherm version. This was a good buy. The weight at 480 gm was less than my previous mat a Thermarest Prolite and warmer. I chose 'regular' size - which is probably longer than I need and the extra 10 grams over the medium size did not give me any advantage.

I replaced my Alpkit sleeping bag with a new one bought in the PHD sale - a non-standard Minim 300. Without a zip, it weighed 735 gm about the same as my Alpkit 400 down bag but was more roomy and a little warmer. Strangely it weighs more than that stated for the standard PHD Minim 400. (Is there an explanation for this?).

I used Crocs as camp shoes and for river crossing - they are very light, but a bit bulky to carry. I swapped these for old stock Saucony running shoes this year. Quite smart, these are even lighter, but they do take time to dry out. This is a disadvantage not only after river crossings but also after nightime walks around a wet campsite.

Although I rarely use a GPS I'm really appreciative when I do get it out. My old Magellan had a button which sometime did not work so after some investigation I played safe and bought a Garmin.

After finding my old Tikka head torch, used mostly around camp, was quite useless for night walking on a mountain I bought a new Tikka XP which seems well rated. In Scotland in May there are not many hours of darkness and I never used it.

I like my British ergonomically designed Pacer Poles and for this year I treated myself to the camera attachment which is great for holding the camera steady and for selfies and meant I could dispense with my mini-tripod.

The Journey

From here ...

.. to here!

The links below reach descriptions of sections of the route which were walked from Torridon on Friday 9th May to Dunnottar Castle on Thursday 22nd.

The walk ends on the west coast followed by public transport to Montrose for check-in and a gathering.

The lighthouse from Montrose beach

For me a BandB with a hot bath. For many, the final day on the campsite is an important part of the overall experience. This year it was full of caravanning fans of the group Status Quo who were appearing on Friday night at the Montrose Music Festival. The Park Hotel came to the rescue and opened a corner of their garden for those left without a plot.

Status Quo fans attending the Montrose Music Festival ..

.. filled the campsite so TGOer moved to the Hotel Garden

Celebratory dinners are held on Thursday and Friday.

Somehow the hotel produces enough dinners. Speeches celebrate the
walkers, the organisers, the sponsors, the helpers, and a lot of quite
old people have a great time.

A Famous Raconteur

The Dutch Crew

Vetter Iain Shiel

Lessons learned? A few here (and maybe more later) ...

On Food. Dry biscuits travel better than sandwiches. Forget about porridge and go for granola mixed with dried milk which is good cold or warm.

Paramo. Some of the time my Velez smock was ineffective. Its poor protection from the wind blown rain and that from my Paramo trousers caused misery on the last day. Last time I used a heavier Paramo Alta jacket without a problem. The great thing with Paramo is you just walk - no need to stop to put on rain gear and then stop to take it off again, but maybe a rethink is necessary for longer trips like the TGOC.

Camping. I've been using the Trailstar for a few years now. There are still a few more tweaks to my system to improve my comfort. There's plenty of advice around -see here for example.

Monday, 25 August 2014

I left Tony and Jackie tucked up in their tent and worked my way across to
the track up White Hill on the other side of the valley.

Birse Castle and Ballochan from White Hill

From now on the mountains are behind me. I move eastwards trying to keep to
the relatively high ground of the hills and moorland as far as Fetteresso
Forest.

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This is shooting country and land rover tracks reach much of the high ground.
Moving from one area to another may require a pathless tramp over a valley which
borders land belonging to two different owners. On the high resolution OS map it
mentions 'grouse butts' in many places. These are lines of shooting stations
built on the hill side.

a grouse butt

Pathless tramp from one landholding to another

The ridge heading east from Mount Battock provides an easy route with a
distinctive rock pile as a target at Clachnaben above Glen Dye. Here are many
day walkers enjoying the spring sunshine.

Clachnaben at the end of the ridge

The green of grass in the Dye valley
and the wooded areas ahead contrasts attractively with the barren grouse moors,
and the windmills looking over this scene from the far side look like something
from Doctor Who.

The map shows a footbridge across the Dye just below Heatheryhaugh. Described
by many as a 'locked bridge' I am keen to investigate. In fact it is a basket on
a wire which goes high over the river and, as many writers have noted, it is
padlocked to prevent use. Strangely there is no obvious path on either side of
the river so even the key holder may not use it.

locked 'footbridge' over the Dye

I was ready to turn back and use the road bridge, but the river was low and I
found I could wade across just a few meters downstream.

Dye is fordable

The spooky windmills visible earlier but now out of sight form part of the
plantation of Dennytys at the western edge of Fetteresso Forest. Heading this
way, beyond the farmstead of Heatheryhaugh the path works its way upwards and
into an enclosure. A narrow path (therefore most pleasant) traverses around the
contours of Little Kerloch before hauling up to the last high spot of Kerloch
itself at 534m. From this vantage point the full extent of the wind farm is
evident stretching eastwards with miniature figures of workers and their
vehicles dotting the access roads.

Dennystys Plantation

My camping spot was well planned – a narrow green strip on the map
between the trees with a stream. I expected an easy walk around tracks shown on
the map, but on the ground navigation for this last 2km was difficult and I
reach for both compass and GPS for help.

Camping in Fetteresso Forest

Eventually I found my spot, only with a tent already parked there! Tiny and
closed up tight with walking poles tucked neatly in to the side, it felt strange
to put my trailstar on the same bit of ground, and also strange to be surprised to
find someone else here. Flattened grass on the other side of the stream
indicated that others had used this location in the last few days and I settled
there.

Half an hour later a cheery Martin Bamfield announced himself. It was his
small tent. He had closed it up in order to get on with a bit of admin, and blog
writing over he was ready for some conversation. His plan was to leave early,
'very early', so he could reach Stonehaven by midday, and as he needed to get to
the Pyrennes for a walk that weekend. I expected to see him as I woke before
5am, but he had already gone – I learned later he had left at 4:15am.

By morning there were two other tents there, apparently Bernie Clark and
Stefan, I set off before there was signs of life from these two.

Large scale development requires large access roads!

Footpaths seem to have got lost in the development

Fetteresso is notable for the large scale works over the last year or two,
and there is a network of wide and well made access roads to match. Walking here
between 7 and 8 in the morning there is a intermittent stream of traffic
traveling in the opposite direction – all following the protocol of driving at
20mph with emergency light flashing. It may be possible to find footpaths, but
the signs I saw were often blocked by the road workings and seemed not to lie on
a path and indicated places not shown on my map. Using my OS map I managed to
navigate the access tracks to the eastern edge of the forest. I emerged by a car park at a place shown on the map as Swanley.

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Here is an
example of one of the frustrations of OS mapping: what is a path? In OS 1:50000
a path is shown as a dashed black line; in OS 1:25000 a dashed black line is a
border of some sort, whereas the path is more like a green, brown, or black
dotted line. If you look at the 1:50000 map there is a path leaving the forest
eastwards and crossing open ground to a farm called Blairs. Now zoom-in to
1:25000 – the path has disappeared, but maybe there is a road or track not
shown on the other map which heads south from the car park parallel to the
electricity pylons before heading east to another farm called Hindwells. How was
it on the ground? Well there was no obvious path or track, although both may
have existed and become overgrown.

Having a large pack and with bad weather forecast I was not going to spend
time to investigate.

The tramp around the road was only about 1km anyway, and
brought me nearer to Fetteresso Castle. In a field just to the east of the
building is possibly the oldest intact dove cote in the country.

14/15th century dovecote

dovecote interior

dovecote rear view

This was probably built in the 14th or 15th century, and as I stuck my head in the
entrance a couple of blackbirds escaped. The picture shows the concept with
tiered bays inside, row after row in which a bird can roost.

Heading towards the bottom
of the field I found the bridge shown on the map – a steel structure looking
unused and unsafe and with an uncertain destination.

Footbridge near Fetteresso Castle

I followed the stream
Carron Water for quite a way until I found somewhere I could cross while keeping
my boots on. Then by backtracking a little on the railway embankment I crossed
over a little used bridge.

Railbridge near Fetteresso Castle

As it started to rain I look back northwards across to the road where I could
make out three shapes with backpacks marching eastwards. I was not alone!

The Hardy Gang on the Match! (click to zoom in)

The final two or three kilometers are inevitably on road, and it is a relief
to reach the car park for Dunnottar Castle. Here a bearded anorak announces
himself as an ex-TGOer waiting for the Hardy Gang. I'd already heard they had
'plan' including beer and a lift for their arrival at the east coast, so I was
happy to let the man know that I'd seen them not far behind.

Dunnottar Beach

Dunnottar Castle

Reaching the beach was the end of my crossing. All I needed now was some
sunshine to let me dry out and enjoy the feeling of arrival. Unfortunately my
need was left unmet. The Hardy Gang arrived as I left for the 2–3 km walk to
Stonehaven getting colder and wetter.

The Hardy Boys

Stonehaven has an 'award winning' fish and chip shop; there's also some
attractive Inns overlooking the harbour. With wet-through clothes and pack,
however, it is uncomfortable everywhere. I decided to go for the fish and chips
and walked in from the harbour only to find that the award winner was the 'home
of the deep-fried Mars Bar'. There was no restaurant. Eventually I
found somewhere else where I could recover my spirits with some food before
finding the bus that would take me to Montrose.